What's it like living in the SE?

[Wishing on a star]

We also love camping and my husband worries there aren't as many opportunities for that down there (at least not like there are here?). I'd be giving up probably some of the best homeschool and health freedoms in the country to leave Idaho, but I'd love to live somewhere else even just temporarily. Too bad my husbands job as a paramedic isn't one that can just move wherever, whenever! Is there such thing as a traveling paramedic? j/k If there was he'd already be one.

Okay... I am reading thru more carefully!
Homeschooling here in the South, and, I know in the past for TN, is about as 'free' as you can get.
I have a little experience homeschooling here in the SE.
And camping... OMG! In the area that I am talking about, there is extraordinary camping. The Smokys, tons of State Parks and camping areas.
We used to live about an hour from here: https://tnstateparks.com/parks/campground/fall-creek-falls
All of the falls and the swimming hole are really great.

 

[MommyBryn]

Okay... I am reading thru more carefully!
Homeschooling here in the South, and, I know in the past for TN, is about as 'free' as you can get.
I have a little experience homeschooling here in the SE.

Really? In Idaho we have zero requirements, we don't have to declare or do attendance or test or anything. It's literally nothing, you just do it. LOL I thought in TN, a friend of mine there said they have to submit attendance and either do mandatory testing or work under an umbrella school? I do see on the HSLDA map that there are no green states down in the SE which makes me a little hesitant but most I've looked at are okay, just more work to be that way.

 

[North of Mouse]

They aren't relegated to the southeast by any stretch, but they are far more common here than in the northeast. Here, the vast majority of guys drive a pick up, usually with some college emblems on it somewhere, along with "I love my guns" stickers and talk to each other about "man card" stuff. Not all of them, certainly, but quite a number.

Come on!! The souths been my home all my life and I have known very few that fit your stereotype of southern guys. And, yet, you say the 'vast' majority are like that?? You need to get around more!!

Oh, well, maybe that's OK to make them think we are mostly all in that category. It's getting crowded down here - let them stay in the frozen north - we won't bother them!!

Yes, actually, on second thought, it is everything here in the SE like the OP has been told - maybe worse!! Hee Hee You wouldn't like it OP!!

 

[Southernmiss]

The South East is a huge place! And within each state there are different regions and experiences.

In my own state of Mississippi, I live on the Coast (near the Gulf of Mexico). This area is very different from areas not along the Coast. We are near beautiful white beaches. We also are an area with a lot of military families. Some choose to retire here or live here permanently after the leave the service. It is more of a melting pot than areas north of the Coast. Our area was very much influenced by the same early colonists as New Orleans. So our food and culture are like that of New Orleans, as many are also related to families from Louisiana and vice versa.

The climate is warm, almost tropical. Though today's low was 29 (had a good layer of frost on the windshields to defrost this morning) and high was about 55. But it was a beautiful sunny day and I wore 2 layers from head to toe, so it was quite comfortable to me (I know there are disers who are laughing, but I am a flip flop and shorts wearing gal most of the year and this is COLD to me). We had a light dusting of snow Dec 8, 2017 that was big news. My 19 year old had hardly seen any snow in his life. Jimmy Buffet is from our area and his beachy music is inspired by his life growing up along the Coast. Many plants are green all year long. This year we had fall the week of Christmas and all of the leaves on my maple tree and oak trees fell that week. Mowed the leaves two weeks ago on another beautiful sunny warm day in the 60s. Most of our days are sunny. We have had a stretch of about 5 straight days of cloudy, overcast or rainy days this year. Couldn't imagine having clouds all the time. I know those few days dragged me down--cold to the bone, couldn't warm up. Love the sun for the warmth and energy. Colder days are okay to me as long as there is some sun!

Humidity is high along the coast in the summer, but our mild winters help you to forget.

Central Mississippi is different than the Coast. The Delta is different than either and north Mississippi has it's own influences.

As far as bugs, DH sprays the house with insecticide about every 3 to 6 months with a $12 spray from Home Depot. No bugs inside--just keep the house clean and no worries.

As far as homeschooling, I know homeschooling parents whose children have done very well. In our district, the families check in with the district and that is all I know. One would need to look into that. I do know there are good home school groups and associations from at least Hattiesburg down to the Coast.

DH hasn't had a truck in 20 years. But is considering one as his next vehicle for the convenience of being able to haul stuff. No tattoos here.

We do like our football. DH follows a non local pro football team as his first favorite team. And follows the in state college football teams. But he's not fanatical about either. He also likes basketball and baseball and major league soccer.

As luvsjack says, we know hurricanes are a possibility, but we don't dwell on that. Memorable ones in my lifetime were Camille 1969, Frederick in 1979, Elena in 1985, and Katrina in 2005. Camille and Katrina are the big news makers as they were huge and impacted a lot of people and did a lot of damage. But as you can see there was a lot of time between those 2. I live 10 miles inland and there can be spin off tornadoes, but there can be tornadoes many places people live. Tornadoes outside of hurricanes are rare here. Days of warning for hurricanes, not so much for tornadoes that other areas get.

Lots of state parks and areas to camp.

 

[MommyBryn]

Come on!! The souths been my home all my life and I have known very few that fit your stereotype of southern guys. And, yet, you say the 'vast' majority are like that?? You need to get around more!!

Oh, well, maybe that's OK to make them think we are mostly all in that category. It's getting crowded down here - let them stay in the frozen north - we won't bother them!!

Yes, actually, on second thought, it is everything here in the SE like the OP has been told - maybe worse!! Hee Hee You wouldn't like it OP!!

Hahah I totally get that approach! We say the same thing. We're being inundated by Californians and it's really frustrating because SO many (I'd be willing to say the majority) come here for our freedoms and our wide open space, and then they get here and they try to change things (to what they want and are used to, or they buy up useful farm ground to put a manufactured home on and then they move, which is a waste), and in turn it makes it more like what they came from and had tried to escape. I'll never figure that one out.

 

[Jennasis]

We love living in NC. Weather is mild. People are lovely. Have been here for 16 years. Originally from Long island.

 

[brockash]

I've been in Idaho all of my 33 years. Fairly RURAL Idaho, for the most part (we're close enough to Boise to get enough city). I LOVE the southeast, but I really only have experience with winters there. I love the green, I love the sun, I love the proximity to water, I love warmth. I dream of my family moving that way (I love GA and FL, hubby likes AL) and whenever I mention it all anyone has to tell me is how much I'd hate it. No one ever has anything good to say, always telling me how much I'd hate the humidity, how I'd hate the bugs, the creatures, I'd have to deal with natural disasters (specifically tornadoes and hurricanes), how there are way too many people…

Needless to say all of that just fuels my fire...how do THEY know what I'd love and what I'd hate! But realistically, is it really THAT bad? Or just simply different? I mean, here we basically live in the desert between mountain ranges, so spring and fall are pretty but summers are hot (we're used to over 100, but it's dry heat) and dry (and dead and ugly looking), and winters are gray (as we're usually under an inversion by being in the valley), little sun, and rarely much snow (so we don't always get the full experience of the "fourth" season), mostly just cold and windy. We have plenty of our own mosquitoes, we have our own "creatures" (in our case that would be lots of coyotes, we have some mountain lions come down and the occasional bear, our own types of spiders and creepy crawlies...), but what we DON'T really have are natural disasters. The biggest ones that we really have to be concerned with here are if Yellowstone blows or if the "big one" quake finally hits the Pacific coast. Tornadoes scare the heck out of me, and I don't like the idea of hurricanes, but if I had to choose between the two I'd probably take the hurricane?! Are there specific areas that are less prone to these things? But all we really see about those things is what makes the news. We also don't have nearly the same large populations that are in the SE....I mean, just look at a map, there's a reason so much of the west is still wild. We also love camping and my husband worries there aren't as many opportunities for that down there (at least not like there are here?). I'd be giving up probably some of the best homeschool and health freedoms in the country to leave Idaho, but I'd love to live somewhere else even just temporarily. Too bad my husbands job as a paramedic isn't one that can just move wherever, whenever! Is there such thing as a traveling paramedic? j/k If there was he'd already be one.

We lived there for about 3 years and I NEVER want to go back. It's just a whole different world/culture to me (I lived in south AL). There are also tons of bugs and critters which I'm not a fan of and while I love warm weather; about 4 months of the year are almost suffocating when you're there every day, just trying to live your normal life. On the other hand I loved the mid Atlantic (Virginia/Maryland) milder winters and within driving distance of sooo much including beaches.

 

[MommyBryn]

We lived there for about 3 years and I NEVER want to go back. It's just a whole different world/culture to me (I lived in south AL). There are also tons of bugs and critters which I'm not a fan of and while I love warm weather; about 4 months of the year are almost suffocating when you're there every day, just trying to live your normal life. On the other hand I loved the mid Atlantic (Virginia/Maryland) milder winters and within driving distance of sooo much including beaches.

I'd actually love to hear more about these areas too. My FIL is from Virginia and still has family there, but I know my husband has expressed interest in NC as well.

 

[amberpi]

@Klayfish, I’m considering relocating to the Atlanta/Alpharetta area from Maryland. South Alpharetta, John’s Creek, Roswell, Sandy Springs... How different is the culture there compared to the mid-Atlantic region? I’m specifically looking to avoid any “good ol’ boys” communities.

Where I lived in ATL - Inman Park/Cabbage Town area is the opposite of good ol' boys - but you will be overrun with hipsters and urban professionals. I loved it there and would move back in heart beat. I worked in Alpharetta in a remote position for a good while - its suburb hell IMHO. And welcome to SE, it's wonderful!

 

[Gumbo4x4]

They aren't relegated to the southeast by any stretch, but they are far more common here than in the northeast. Here, the vast majority of guys drive a pick up, usually with some college emblems on it somewhere, along with "I love my guns" stickers and talk to each other about "man card" stuff. Not all of them, certainly, but quite a number.

Definitely more common than in the NE, but probably not more common than say rural Idaho (where OP lives now) .

 

[low-key]

every place is good, if your ready to make it good

 

[LSUmiss]

Ahh yeah, termites are "a thing" here, too!

So how often do hurricanes totally decimate places (like the kind of news that actually makes it to us on the other side of the country)? When I look at homes on Zillow I always wonder "has this one been through a hurricane?" or if it's newer I wonder if it was built because it replaced one that was ruined, stuff like that. Or the amount of trees around a home being a risk (for hurricanes or tornados). Because in that regard, I have NO idea what I'm looking at.

I would say you would probably want to live in the northern part of Alabama or FL or in GA esp if you thought NOLA was to humid That would make your threat of a hurricane less serious also. I’ve lived in NOLA or nearby my whole life & would never live anywhere else, but it’s definitely not for everyone.

 

[LSUmiss]

Well, I have lived in the south my whole life so kinda hard to compare but its not as bad as all that. My experience of the places you listed is mostly going to be Alabama (I live in MS now)

Yes, we have humidity and bugs. The bugs really are not that big of a deal. They don't come in my house for the most part. They hang around outside but when we have cook outs and other stuff outside, we rarely see them or are bothered by them.

The humidity, you get used to it. I found it much more humid in Orlando than in most parts of Alabama or Georgia. But some summers are horribly humid and some are not. I agree that NOLA can be a killer in the summer with the humidity but southern Alabama isn't nearly that bad.

Hurricanes, well, one is going to hit somewhere every year but they don't usually hit the same area every year or even threaten the same area every year. Upstate Alabama would be less likely to be affected but its hard to say. Just depends on where it lands and which way it goes. You will know about it well ahead to prepare. But honestly, having dealt with them all my life, they really don't affect my day to day life very often. You learn to be prepared but not to really worry.

Tornados bother me a whole lot more than Hurricanes, but I have lived here my whole life and never been hit by one.

We do not get a lot of snow. Its a real "event" when we do.

Some years we get a honest to goodness "fall". It lasts oh, about 2 days and summer comes back. And then we get some winter. Maybe a week. And summer comes back. Spring varies. But the jokes about all 4 seasons in one day? Yeah, its a real thing here. We honestly had tornado watches and warnings about a week ago in the morning and snow chances that night. Its can be weird.

Not everyone hunts, fishes and watches college football. Not every guy has a pick up truck. A lot do and in some areas it seems like everyone does, but there are plenty that don't. But no one really cares if you do or you don’t.

I like this. I think that definitely sums up NOLA for sure. No one really cares what you do.

 

[LSUmiss]

Come on!! The souths been my home all my life and I have known very few that fit your stereotype of southern guys. And, yet, you say the 'vast' majority are like that?? You need to get around more!!

Oh, well, maybe that's OK to make them think we are mostly all in that category. It's getting crowded down here - let them stay in the frozen north - we won't bother them!!

Yes, actually, on second thought, it is everything here in the SE like the OP has been told - maybe worse!! Hee Hee You wouldn't like it OP!!

I thought that too, but thought maybe it’s like that other places?? I think Louisiana is different from the rest of the typical south especially in our area. And, I’ve never seen an alligator or snake in real life other than in a zoo or exhibit!

 

[portocall]

I've lived in coastal Central Florida, New Orleans, and Atlanta. They all have good and bad. Humidity has been my life since I was born. I don't mind it. Probably because I have gills by now. Atlanta is probably the most comfortable place I've lived weather wise. I don't know anything but the SE so I really can't compare but I will say that I am not looking to change regions. Hurricanes are just a fact of life . I don't worry about them until there I'd am actual reason to be bothered. I've never seen a tornado. Culturally, it is very rich. The food is really good.

 

[L&Lfan]

We lived there for about 3 years and I NEVER want to go back. It's just a whole different world/culture to me (I lived in south AL). There are also tons of bugs and critters which I'm not a fan of and while I love warm weather; about 4 months of the year are almost suffocating when you're there every day, just trying to live your normal life. On the other hand I loved the mid Atlantic (Virginia/Maryland) milder winters and within driving distance of sooo much including beaches.

You weren’t within driving distance of beaches in south Alabama? Or did you just not care for Gulf beaches compared to mid Atlantic beaches? Trying to understand the beach thing when you say you lived in south AL...

 

[Klayfish]

Come on!! The souths been my home all my life and I have known very few that fit your stereotype of southern guys. And, yet, you say the 'vast' majority are like that?? You need to get around more!!

Oh, well, maybe that's OK to make them think we are mostly all in that category. It's getting crowded down here - let them stay in the frozen north - we won't bother them!!

Yes, actually, on second thought, it is everything here in the SE like the OP has been told - maybe worse!! Hee Hee You wouldn't like it OP!!

I totally respect that the south has been your home all of your life and you love it. If you have never lived anywhere other than the south, it's going to be hard for you to have perspective of what other areas are like. Having lived most of my life in the frozen north (which is why we left), there is unquestionably a huge difference. As I said initially, I don't hate it, but I don't love it. It's OK. Sorry, but yeah, I do see a huge difference down here. Most of the guys I come across...whether at the local pool, at sports, wherever...are like that. Plenty friendly, don't get me wrong. Just a different way of life.

 

[luvsJack]

I thought that too, but thought maybe it’s like that other places?? I think Louisiana is different from the rest of the typical south especially in our area. And, I’ve never seen an alligator or snake in real life other than in a zoo or exhibit!

South Louisiana is probably my favorite part of the SE. It is different but that’s what I like. So many people I have met from that area are just so nice and so welcoming. They treat you like family from day one of meeting you!

But, I don’t know, the Florida Panhandle and the Alabama beaches are fantastic too.

And of course, Mississippi’s own gulf coast with the food, the culture, the beauty. Just the slow southern way of life.

I live a little further north of our coast. And it’s a little different with our love of NOLA, Moblile and our own coast all mixed in.

Oh and then there is TN with cooler weather and mountains. And the mountain culture.


OP, I just don’t think you can go wrong in the south.

 

[North of Mouse]

I totally respect that the south has been your home all of your life and you love it. If you have never lived anywhere other than the south, it's going to be hard for you to have perspective of what other areas are like. Having lived most of my life in the frozen north (which is why we left), there is unquestionably a huge difference. As I said initially, I don't hate it, but I don't love it. It's OK. Sorry, but yeah, I do see a huge difference down here. Most of the guys I come across...whether at the local pool, at sports, wherever...are like that. Plenty friendly, don't get me wrong. Just a different way of life.

Ok, so you've toned it down from the post I quoted!! Yes, the south is more laid back than the north, in general. And, we 'have' lived other places - MD for 6 yrs. was the hardest to take as that was the farthest N., lived in ATL suburbs 3 years. Haven't heard of anyone retiring 'north' though, so I guess they come south in spite of our way of life!!
(you included, maybe????

Some people come south and try to 'make' it like where they came from in the north (we know some) - not gonna happen!!! There are definitely many 'mini' cultures within the south though - mostly in extreme rural areas - not usually in cities like Atlanta, so guess I was surprised at your strong post, as we've lived there, no pick up truck, no tattoos, etc.

 

[Wishing on a star]

Yes, I too get like really tired of the stupid stereotypes.
YES, those areas exist. but... NO, that is not 'the south or south-east'.
Not at all.
The comments begin to become ridiculous.

Yes, there is actually a Hazard County Kentucky.... (thinking of the old TV show)
To make that a stereotype and apply it to the South or South East is just absurd and very mistaken.

As for others that come here and want to 'make it like where they are from'.
YES, that exists here in some areas as well.
I lived in a city with a very large retirement community, consisting mostly of people from 'up-north'... the Eastern mid-west and North East.
It was just SO flipping obvious.
The funniest bumper sticker I have ever seen in my life was on a local hometown residents car, and it said something like.
"I don't give a damn HOW you did it up North (or back home)."

And, my comments are coming from somebody who has always lived in the SE, but married a man from 'up North' whose several family members also moved here.

Believe me, I can see the negative 'stereotypicals' from BOTH areas.